Kabul: Obama Regrets Afghan Civilian Casualties

Afghan President Hamid Karzai said Thursday U.S. President Barack Obama had expressed “deep regret” for recent Afghan civilian casualties caused by coalition forces.
Mr. Karzai's office said both leaders discussed the situation after NATO's top commander in Afghanistan, General David Petraeus, on Wednesday apologized for the deaths of nine children during a coalition airstrike in eastern Kunar province earlier this week.
Afghan officials say as many as 64 civilians were killed during separate NATO operations in the same province late last month.
Mr. Karzai reportedly told President Obama the increasing number of civilian casualties posed a serious problem, while the U.S. leader said he told his military officials to work to decrease civilian casualties.
Meanwhile, officials at a meeting hosted by the Organization of the Islamic Conference in the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah renewed calls Thursday for a political solution in Afghanistan. They said there needs to be a shift from military action to what they described as a political approach.
Also Thursday, the special representative of the U.N. secretary-general for children and armed conflict, Radhika Coomaraswamy, said children killed in Afghanistan by airstrikes is a cause of serious concern.
While welcoming General Petraeus' apology and his commitment to investigate, Coomaraswamy urged a thorough review of procedures to ensure that all necessary precautions are taken to prevent children from becoming casualties in the Afghan conflict.
In other violence, NATO said a homemade bomb killed one of its service members in southern Afghanistan Thursday.
From: VOA

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